Corruption of Love
by Bestogoddess
Summary: When a slip-up during a witch battle causes Homura to become love-struck towards Madoka, she is forced to look after her until the other girls can figure out a way to cure her. However, things quickly go from bad to worse when Homura's condition begins to deteriorate. [MadoHomu] (Challenge entry #2)


Madoka and Homura nestled behind a small wall, actively fighting off wave after of cupid-like creatures, their monstrous faces sitting on cute baby-like bodies. The Cupid's drew their bows, but were instantly shut down by a few well placed arrows from Madoka.

Sayaka, on the other end of the room, attempted to advance towards the witch alongside Kyouko. The cloud of enemies seemed to be never ending. Kill one, 2 more take its place.

Mami, meanwhile, barraged the witch with everything she had. It was less of a "creature" and more of a distorted heart, pumping out Cupid's and her "love" where blood should have been.

Not exactly the ideal Valentine's Day…

"Hey, Mami. Can we hurry this up? I'm supposed to be meeting Kyousuke in an hour." Sayaka telepathically whined, fighting off another couple of these monstrosities.

"Just a little bit more, okay?" Mami responded. "We need to clear a path, though, or we won't get anything done. Maybe if I can use Tiro Finale…"

"Too vulnerable. They'll overwhelm you before you can get a good shot." Kyouko replied.

"I'll do it" Homura stated. "If I can get a clear path and about 30 seconds, I should be able to get a few bombs into it and take it out from the inside."

A moment of mental silence passed.

"I like it. At least if it doesn't kill it, the power will hopefully be enough to cut off it's supply lines, or push them back at the very least." Kyouko added.

"Then it's settled." Mami shifted her attack, clearing out the mob surrounding the two girls, Homura now free to see the witch. She nodded to Mami and shifted her shield, the world now in a distinct gray. Her world.

She rushed forward, chucking bomb after bomb into the veins of the heart, counting off as many as she possibly could. When she was satisfied, she landed with grace and brought herself back into her world. Homura looked back at the explosion behind her with a certain joy. Fire burst from the veins and arteries, sending her monstrosities into the air around her. However, something was off.

Rather than disappear, the witch began to bloat itself up, expanding many times its size. She went to get out of the way, but she reacted far too late.

Her last memory of that day was a cloud of pink, then blackness.

.

.

.

"Homura!"

Madoka rushed towards the cloud of pink dust, barely having time to think of what she was doing. Sayaka and Kyouko grabbed her by the arms before she could rush into it.

"Let me go!" She cried out, still struggling.

"Calm down." Kyouko responded soothingly. "We don't know what that stuff does, and we don't want to see you dead."

Madoka slowly stopped struggling, falling to the ground with despair.

"Homura…"

Mami rushed towards her, attempting to get her out before her soul gem was endangered, but stopped when she saw a figure in the mist. Madoka saw it too, and ran towards Homura to make sure she was okay.

"Homura, what happened? Are you hurt? Are you a witch? You're still okay, right?"

A long moment of silence passed, causing Madoka to worry even more.

"Homura, please answer me. You're okay, right?"

Rather than answer any of those questions, Homura looked into Madoka's eyes with an expression she had never seen from her before, her deep...pink eyes.

"Madoka...did you do something with your hair? It looks amazing." She clutched closer along her, examining her clothes. "You smell incredible too. I can't stop…"

A look of confusion passed over the group, attempting to figure out what had just happened.

"I think I might have an explanation." Mami stated. The group eagerly watched her. "I can't be sure, but I think that witch may have released some sort of pheromone as a final defense. Homura was the only one subjected to it, and she's now deeply attracted to Madoka."

Homura had now clutched herself around Madoka, refusing to let go and inhaling her scent. What wasn't incomprehensible among her words was the endless repetition of Madoka's name.

"Any way we can cure it?" Sayaka asked.

Mami shook her head.

"Sadly, it doesn't look like it. It's probably best to just wait this out, though, rather than deal with things we don't completely understand. In the meantime, I think we should get Homura home and rested." She began to approach Homura, but she pulled herself tighter onto Madoka.

"I won't let you separate us. You won't let them take me away from you, right Madoka?"

Mami gave a concerned look, but Madoka quickly brushed it off.

"If she wants to be with me, then let her be with me. I'll be happy to keep her with me." Homura began jumping into the air with joy, still keeping an iron grip on her.

"Kyaaa, I knew you loved me, Madoka. I knew you would never leave me."

Sayaka awkwardly stepped back.

"I just remembered that I have to go meet Kyousuke. Gotta go." With a blue flash, she was back in her uniform, running off into the distance.

Kyouko looked off at her, quickly moving to walk away.

"I...have to go too. I have a...thing. Very important." Kyouko didn't bother transforming out of her costume, but simply leapt into the sky.

Mami just watched them both, giving a thumbs up and a good luck before walking off.

"Just the two of us…" Homura stated after they had all left.

"I guess it is."

* * *

It was nightfall by the time Madoka arrived home. Dragging along a clingy, lovesick Homura was no easy task by any means, but she still managed it.

 _I'll be happy to keep her with me_

This had been easier said than done. Junko would probably be either passed out asleep or too drunk to begin asking questions, but she would still need a place to sleep and cool herself down, not to mention food and other arrangements.

Madoka took a deep breath, bringing herself through the front door. As she had thought, Junko was sprawled out over the table like a ragdoll, drink in hand. She made her way up to her room, being careful not to wake her up. As soon as she entered, Homura's eyes lit up, but not before the girl fell to her knees.

"I'm in...Madoka's room…" Her face turned a bright red, her breathing gowing heavy to the point where she was almost panting.

"I'm glad you like it that much." Madoka replied, unsure of what else she could say here.

"Well, of course I love it. You're the most incredible person I've ever met." She stated factually.

"I'm not all that great. You're always saving me from danger. Mami, Kyouko, Sayaka and you are always taking the spotlight, while I'm just sitting back and providing support."

"Don't say that. You're incredible, and I'll make sure you know that."

"I'm happy you see me like that." She stated, crawling into bed. Closing her eyes, she began to slowly drift into sleep, but was violently shaken awake by Homura minutes later.

"What's wrong, Homura?"

Homura breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry. I thought you were dead for a second. Just wanted to be sure."

"No…I'm not dead. Just sleeping." She responded with a little bit of a laugh. "Don't worry about me."

"Understood.

Madoka closed her eyes, silently laughing about her devotion towards her, but that laughing ended when was shaken again. She opened her eyes to give a deadpan look at Homura.

"Right. Not dead. Just sleeping." Homura stated. "Sorry.

Once again, she lied down, this time keeping her eyes open.

"I will be sleeping."

"Right."

"Sleeping. As in not dead."

"Understood."

Once again, Madoka let herself try to fall asleep.

"Madoka? Madoka!"

She ignored her, keeping her eyes closed, and it was only when Homura was on top of her that she opened them up. Getting out of bed, she gestured for Homura to get in.

"I think it'll be better for both of us if you fall asleep first, don't you agree?"

Homura couldn't move. Her legs grew shaky, her face going a bright red.

"S-s-sleep in y-y-your b-bed? I c-couldn't."

 _Please do_

"It's no big deal. I'll cuddle up with you when you go to sleep tonight, okay?"

Homura jumped into bed, curling up into it. It was awfully cute, albeit the slight creepiness of Homura sniffing at her pillow.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

On the rooftop the next day, Madoka met with Mami.

" _Madoka, you look terrible…"_

" _Long story. Didn't get to sleep until late. Do you have any leads on how to cure Homura?"_

Mami shook her head, trying her best to hide it from the girl in question.

" _Unfortunately not. I've never encountered anything like this before. Furthermore, a case like this one is really odd."_

" _What do you mean?" Madoka asked in confusion._

" _Well…" Mami stopped herself, trying to put her thoughts into words. "I just don't understand why a witch would do something this. If it's as you described, then aside from the lack of sleep, there's no real danger to this. Could just be a fluke case, but I don't think it would have a mechanism like that without any ulterior purpose."_

"Madoka, let's go." Homura stated.

"But-" Madoka didn't have time to finish, as Homura was now dragging her by her arm away from Mami.

" _Let me know if anything happens." Mami asked, not bothering to hide her worry._

.

.

.

"And with that, you should arrive at an answer of…Um, Akemi-san, please return to your own seat.

Homura held herself onto Madoka, her death grip getting tighter and tighter. Sayaka and Hitomi gave uneasy glares.

"I-I'm fine with this. I can still do the work."

"I still ask that she return to her seat.

As Madoka had expected, Homura still didn't let go.

She could feel her hatred when she was dragged back to her desk, her obsession creating an atmosphere of pure hatred across the room.

.

.

.

"Let's walk home this way today."

Madoka stopped, looking at where Homura was pointing. It was a beaten down path, one that she had never gone on.

"Actually, I was thinking we could walk home with Sayaka and Hitomi-"

"This way is faster."

"I'm not really sure about this. Plus, I promised I'd walk home with them."

"This way is faster." She said, more defiantly.

Homura held her hand, walking her through the beaten path

.

.

.

When they had gotten home, Homura immediately walked her to her bedroom, locking her door and barring her from the outside world.

"Homura…"

"You don't need anyone else. Anyways, you're probably tired. Why don't you get some sleep?"

Madoka got into bed and lied down, even if it was against everything she knew. Homura fished through her bag, pulling out her homework book and furiously writing in it.

"You shouldn't stress yourself with things like this. I will do this for you."

While she was in bed, a voice entered her mind.

" _You there?"_

Sayaka's voice was reassuring to hear. She turned towards the window, but was greeted by another message.

" _Don't draw attention. Just keep looking at her."_

Madoka followed her instructions, facing Homura who had already finished half her work.

" _What's she doing?"_

" _She's doing all my homework right now. I think she locked the door."_

A long pause.

" _So it's just as Mami thought…"_

" _What did she say?" Madoka asked, desperate for answers._

" _Well, she said that she found it odd that there was no ulterior motive for that witch, right?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _I told her about what happened in class today, and the conclusion hit her: I think her condition is getting worse. It's only a matter of time before she-"_

Sayaka stopped talking, and it didn't take long for Madoka to notice that Homura had momentarily disappeared. After many minutes of worry, Homura reappeared in her room, walking up to her in bed. When she looked into her eyes, the pink had now been replaced with a fiery red.

"Sorry. Had to take care of an...unwanted intruder."

"I see…

"Hey...you didn't know about this, did you?"

Madoka grew nervous, her body shaking under her blankets. She hoped Homura couldn't see it.

"Of course not. You're the only one for me."

"I'm glad you think that way. Now, sleep. I'll look over you."

The cuteness was gone, and Madoka quickly went to sleep under her orders.

* * *

When she awoke, the sight she was greeted with was, to say the least, disturbing.

Cut up pictures lay on the floor, all of them of her family. She got up, looking at the photos and finding that she had stuck her own face on many of them.

"Do you like it?"

She looked into the corner to find Homura holding onto her soul gem, laughing to herself over something she couldn't understand. She seemed to notice her eyeing her soul gem.

"Sorry. I had to take this from you. I can't trust you to just run off, after all."

Madoka couldn't hide the terror in her face. All along the wall behind Homura, pictures of the two together were spread across it, decorating in a canvas of devotion.

"Homura, you're not okay. Please, snap out of this."

Homura just laughed.

"Snap out of what? You are all I need in this world. Nothing more."

"Homura…"

"You won't let anyone take me away from you, right?"

"N-No, but-"

She put a finger to her lips

"That's all I needed to hear. I knew you would never leave me." Her tone was blank, but her crooked smile was unsettling.

"I should go down for dinner-"

"Already taken care of." Homura gestured towards a table across the room where a table of food sat, along with a wedding sized cake she was surprised she hadn't noticed sooner. "Besides, I already told her we had important work to take care of up here, and to not disturb us."

Madoka cautiously approached the table, each dish laid out like a buffet of sorts.

"It's all your favorites. Go on, eat." Madoka didn't question how she knew what her favorite foods were, or where she had gotten all of it. She already knew she wouldn't like the answer no matter what it was. However, she had to admit the food was incredible.

When she had finished eating, Homura approached with a cake knife, slicing open the cake into beautifully perfect slices. She looked at her eyes again. The red was now fading, slowly replacing with…

Black…

Madoka didn't say anything, but the worry was starting to creep into her.

Just how much farther would she go?

" _Hey, Madoka! We need to talk."_

Sayaka's voice ringed through her head, and this time, Homura took notice.

"Disconnect from her."

Madoka was hesitant.

" _Hey, what's she telling you?"_

"Disconnect from her. I won't repeat myself."

" _She wants me to disconnect from you."_

" _That's crazy! How bad is this?"_

"I am telling you, disconnect now." She held out her soul gem, cake knife pointing directly into it.

" _She has my soul gem. I'm sorry."_

" _Hey, what is-"_ Madoka ended the telepathy, but Homura was unsatisfied.

"I thought you said I was the only one for you."

"S-she came to me." To be honest, Sayaka's voice had been reassuring. There was no doubt that Homura was off the deep end, but she thought it might be better to go along with her.

"And yet...you hesitated. Is Sayaka Miki an obstacle in the way of our love?"

"Not at all." Madoka replied, now terrified of what Homura would do.

"Good. If she ever contacts you again, I will not hesitate to take her life."

Madoka nodded her head in false understanding. She just wanted her back to her normal self.

 _Please figure out something, Mami…._

She felt a telepathic bridge form in her head from Homura.

"Just as an added measure. If anyone contacts you, I will know of it."

Madoka looked outside to find that it was now dark. Every time she had crawled into bed, Homura changed. She didn't want to, but she had to sleep, for Sayaka's sake. The last thing she wanted was for her to contact her out of worry right now.

As she drifted off, she thought back to the black of Homura's eyes.

 _What comes next?_

* * *

Turns out, she didn't want to know the answer to that.

She was awoken to Homura's whispers into her mind, and then her actual whispers in the room.

"Unworthy...unworthy...unworthy...unworthy...unworthy….unworthy...unworthy...unworthy…"

Madoka stepped out of bed to find Homura's eyes a nightmarish black. She had a gun to her soul gem, and a shaky hand on the trigger.

"I am unworthy to even exist in the same world as you do. I might as well just die now…"

Without thought, the rushed forward. In one swift movement, she kicked the gun out of her hands and grabbed both of their soul gems before unlocking the door.

"Please...let me die here...I am unworthy…"

She ran out the door, and out into the streets of the night.

 _I'm sorry, Homura._

Once she was sure she passed the 100 meter threshold, she slowed herself down, severing the connection with Homura and contacting Sayaka.

 _We need to talk. Now. Bring Mami and Kyouko._

It took a few moments, but Sayaka eventually re-contacted her.

 _Alright, alright. What about Homura?_

 _We can talk safely. I'll explain everything once we're together._

.

.

.

From the top of a skyscraper, Mami leapt onto the rooftop, greeting a worried Sayaka, a terrified Madoka, and a confused Kyouko.

"Sayaka debriefed me on the way here" Mami explained. "It's much worse than I thought."

Kyouko bit into an apple, attempting to figure all this out.

"So, just to make sure I have this figured out right, Homura went full yandere on you, and then threatened herself with suicide?"

"That's pretty much what happened, yes." Madoka responded. "I can't just keep her unconscious like this forever."

"Right." Mami stated. "We need to formulate a plan."

The four girls stood on the rooftop, all formulating their own mental plans.

"Could we counteract it with magic? Inflict an opposite emotion on her?" Sayaka asked.

"If it were that easy, then girls wouldn't have a problem with despair. Come on, think harder." Kyouko answered. Before Sayaka could reach her to give her a piece of her mind, Mami began to speak.

"No...that's not a bad idea. Not the magic, but an opposite reaction might work. Might bring her back to her senses"

"Isn't that dangerous, though?" Kyouko asked.

"Maybe, but we have no other options as of now. It's the best plan we've got."

Madoka gave Sayaka Homura's soul gem, quickly walking towards the edge of the building.

"I'm counting on you." She stated with a smile, leaping off towards Homura in the distance.

"Should be saying the same for you." Kyouko replied, following suit.

* * *

Madoka was knelt over Homura's body, Sayaka just barely past the 100 meter radius. Mami was finishing with the restraints on Homura. Would be better if she wasn't moving around or reaching for her shield.

"Alright, preparations are ready. She's fully restrained. If this doesn't work, I don't know what will."

Madoka looked at Homura, taking a deep breath. She was not going to like this.

"Alright, Sayaka. Step forward. If it gets out of hand, I'll have you retreat back."

Within a few moments, Homura woke up, her eyes tainted black.

"Madoka….?" Homura attempted to struggle, but quickly realized she couldn't. "I'm-" Madoka didn't let her finish, but grabbed her by the shoulders and peered into her eyes.

"You are worthy of me. You absolutely are. Please don't talk about things like suicide and dying for me. It hurts me to think about that. I can't accept you like this" She spoke from her heart and soul, pushing them onto her to convey every emotion she needed.

"I'm worthy…" She stated to herself, her eyes slowly turning from black back to red. "Yes, only I am worthy of you. You are mine. I will have you all to myself, and nobody else-"

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that."

A look of surprise crossed her face.

"But…"

"I can't let you kill the others and take me all to yourself. That's just too plain cruel. I'm sorry, but I can't accept you like this either."

"But...my love for you is unending."

"I don't care. I'm sorry, but I can't allow that."

Slowly, the red shifted back into a bright pink. She had been dreading this one since the initiation of the plan.

"I...I can change. Let me give you all the love I can. I don't have to kill, but I love you. I really do. This love is real"

Madoka wanted to say "yes" in that moment, but she needed her back to normal.

 _Don't hate me_

"That love isn't real. The Homura I know and really love has shining purple eyes, is willing to be away from me, and isn't so clingy. I can't accept this."

Homura's eyes filled with tears.

"You...don't love me back?"

"Not the way you are now, but it's because I love you so much that I have to do this, so…" She prepared herself, a tear welling at her eye.

"I reject your love! Give me the real Homura back!"

"But…" Her face was now a waterfall of tears, and even when the pink of her eyes left, the tears were still flowing. Mami undid the ribbons, but Homura remained confused.

"Where...am I? Why am I crying?" Before she could look around, Madoka had embraced her, tears flowing from her eyes.

"I'm so glad you're back to normal. I was so worried."

Homura replied with a simple yes as she tried to figure out what had happened.

"I did all this?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'll explain everything later. I need to start cleaning all of this up."

Homura picked off a picture along the wall, giving a good look at it.

"I'll help clean all of this up, maybe stay the night-"

"No."

The speed of Madoka's refusal surprised Homura, but she decided it would be best to hear what had happened before judging her actions.

"I'll...be seeing you tomorrow then, I guess. Good luck." Homura walked out the door, shutting it behind her.

She was never happier to have her room to herself than she was in that moment.

* * *

 **I wish all of you a happy Valentine's day**


End file.
